Welcome to the New Year Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox and Mom Does Reviews!

Last night we said a hearty, “Goodbye” to 2025, quite possibly along with a wish for the door not to hit its ass on the way out. So long, 2025, it has not been good to know you. From a personal standpoint, this past year has been a good one – even though that has often felt precarious in one way or another. We’re all healthy, we’re happy together, Hecate, George, Luna and Tuna are all doing fine, but the world as a whole has been a hot mess – and not in a fun, fictional way.

Speaking of fun, fictional ways to look forward, my 2026 Most Anticipated Books list will be posted tomorrow. Because the way the year starts at Chez Reading Reality is a look forward to the year ahead. Also a lot of video gaming on the holiday. (We’re playing Diablo IV and it’s working for us as both a game and a metaphor. I love a good two-fer!)

On this first day of the new year, it’s so tempting to set a New Year’s resolution or two. Tempting but no, at least not for me. Telling myself I “should” do something is generally a guarantee that I won’t get it done – or at least not done promptly. What about you? Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you just resolve to keep doing the good things you’re already doing? Or do you just wait until the end of the year, backdate the good stuff you’ve done and call them your resolutions for the year?

Whether you do or you don’t, please resolve to answer the question in the RafflePress for your chance at Reading Reality’s usual prize, the winner’s choice of a $10 Amazon Gift Card or $10 in Books!

Happy New Year!

For more new prizes for the new year, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox, Mom Does Reviews, and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Happy New Year and welcome to the New Year, New You Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox and Mom Does Reviews!

Like the song says, “Another one bites the dust…” and so it goes with 2024. Hello 2025!

This year at Chez Reading Reality has certainly had its ups and downs. Or at least one really big down as we lost our dear demon Lucifer in early July. Every so often I still think I see the old man out of the corner of my eye. Don’t worry, I’m not seeing ghosts, I’m seeing Hecate, who is not herself a black cat but as a tortie is mostly black especially on top. And not that she doesn’t get some extra scritches when I see her like that.

Looking ahead to 2025, as I certainly will in tomorrow’s Most Anticipated Books post, April 4, 2025 will mark Reading Reality’s FOURTEENTH Blogoversary. This has turned out to be the longest, best and most fulfilling job that I’ve ever had – and I have no intention of stopping.

But each year represents a chance to make some changes, and that’s true this year as well. Last year I started posting on Instagram. I’ve just picked up Bluesky and Threads and am pondering how much or how little I’ll continue on X. Authors are dropping X at a prodigious rate, but publishers are still hanging on and hanging out. So we’ll see how that all goes in the months ahead.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more terrific prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox, Mom Does Reviews, and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Welcome to the New Year, New You Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mama the Fox!

2023 kind of just zipped by, didn’t it? Some years seem interminable – I’m trying so damn hard not to think of 2020 because YEESH that was a year I hope we never revisit – while others, like this year just passed – seemingly pass in the blink of an eye.

It’s been a good year here at Chez Reading Reality. There have been good books (as evidenced by last week’s Best Books list). Everyone is well and as happy as we all can be. Even George and Lucifer who had their regular vet checks over the weekend. (They even seem to have forgiven us for the whole capture and car trip thing.)

Looking ahead to this year, April 4, 2024 will be the OMG THIRTEENTH Anniversary of Reading Reality’s first post back in 2011. So, in the hopes that 13 will be lucky instead of unlucky, I’ll be trying something new – or new for Reading Reality, at least – starting with this very post.

I’ve had an Instagram account for a while, but haven’t gotten into it. I’m still more about the words than I am about the pictures. But in the wake of this year’s inanity and insanity at the service formerly known as Twitter, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see X go to a pay for play option. Not that there aren’t plenty of other reasons to get the hell out of that particular Dodge already.

So Instagram, or rather, Bookstagram, is my plan B for Reading Reality’s outreach. We’ll see how it’s all turned out, this time next year.

Happy New Year!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more fabulous celebratory prizes, be sure to visit the other stops on this hop!

MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.